Perhaps you are familiar with research. You might have learned about research or maybe you conduct research in your life. How is that different from research in Public Relations practice? In this course, you will learn the foundations of research in PR. PR research is applied research.
Practical application of research allows you to improve the organization’s performance. Research can be used in many ways in Public Relations practice. For example, you can use research to analyze and assess a need for the organization, ensure your objectives are realistic and connected to your outcome, identify and describe the relevant publics, brainstorm and test messages and channels, monitor the progress of your PR efforts, show impact and effectiveness of your program. This course will provide you the basic knowledge to plan, design, and conduct research to solve a PR problem.
This course is designed for students wanting to pursue careers in public relations as well as a refresher for entry level PR practitioners wanting to brush up on their knowledge of the field. Come join me in this tour of research in PR where you will learn to use research as the backbone of your strategic decisions based on evidence.

From the lesson

Formative Research

Now that we have had an overview PR as applied research, let’s explore formative research in PR. First we will discuss issue management as issues are what you are trying to address through research. Second, we will focus on how to set objectives and write problem statement. These are fundamental to ensuring your program is effective and efficient. Third, we will discuss formative research in particularly how to plan and conduct situational analysis. The key components of situational analysis allow you to ensure you carry out programs backed by research.